Certain ailments or treatments of ailments may cause patients to lose range of motion in their jaw as well as diminish their jaw and joint function. The inability to open one's mouth fully is a condition referred to as trismus (sometimes referred to as “lockjaw”). For patients with trismus, jaw motion may be partially or fully rehabilitated by passive motion therapy in which the jaw muscles are passively stretched, i.e. without activating jaw muscles to perform the movement. This can be accomplished by the patients using their hands to pull their lower jaw open and holding the stretch for a predetermined duration, for example, 30 seconds. Over time, the patient gradually opens his or her mouth further and further thereby increasing the range of motion of his or her jaw.
Certain devices are available to assist with passive motion therapy so that the user need not use their hands to hold their jaw open, but instead may use their hands for other activities while maintaining their jaw in a passive stretched position. Such devices may include upper and lower jaw supports in which the distance between the upper and lower jaw supports is adjustable. As passive range of motion stretching may be done, for example, 10 times per day, the patient may wish to take the device with them outside of the home. However, presently available devices are bulky and typically involve the use of separate carrying cases to transport them while not in use. Some patients may find transporting such devices inconvenient and may choose not to take them outside of the home. This may reduce the frequency with which they perform the passive stretching exercises and consequently slow their rehabilitation process.
Accordingly, there remains a need for improvements in the art.